ZTE Open Firefox OS phone to be sold exclusively through eBay, for £59.99

ZTE has announced that it will soon start to sell its entry-level Firefox OS handset exclusively through eBay in the UK and US. The ZTE Open will be available on a "Buy it now" basis and will cost £59.99 and $79.99 respectively.

A 3.2-megapixel camera is on the rear and it is powered by a 1200mAh battery. Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS and the usual sensors are also on board.

Essentially, the Open is a cheap-as-chips SIM-free phone that will allow those interested to get a taste of what Mozilla's Firefox OS is all about. It is the beginning of a longer-term plan to create an open Web system to allow users access to the same apps across several different devices. They will be compatible with Firefox OS, Firefox for desktop and laptop computers and Firefox for Android.

"Mozilla is dedicated to moving the Web forward as a platform for innovation and building products that people love," said Dr Li Gong, senior vice-president of mobile devices at Mozilla. "We are pleased that now we will put the full power of the Web in even more people’s hands.

"With a great potential user base, we know that even more developers around the world will create their apps with new APIs to stimulate an inspiring new wave of innovation."